Blood Has Been Shed

Latest Blood Has Been Shed News

Below is our complete Blood Has Been Shed news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.

Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.

After losing his singer – again – Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz says he considered ending the band he’s been a part of since the turn of the century.

“That thought definitely did cross my mind,” Dutkiewicz told Metalundergound.com recently. “Picking up the pieces after losing two singers is kind of ridiculous. But things worked out and we feel like a stronger unit.”

Adam D and his longtime bandmates – Mike D’Antonio, Justin Foley and Joel Stroetzel – first dealt with losing original singer Jesse Leach back in 2003, just as the band was taking off with its sophomore release, Alive or Just Breathing. Leach was battling depression and was replaced by Blood Has Been Shed’s Howard Jones, who went on to front the Massachusetts-based band as they earned a Grammy nomination and two gold albums and headlined sold-out arenas and festivals.

When Jones left last year to deal with his own personal demons, Dutkiewicz and the crew didn’t have to think too hard before deciding to bring Leach back into the fold. Dutkiewicz and Leach had toured together with their side project Times of Grace and have remained friends, despite the messy breakup a decade ago.

“Jesse did have an edge because he used to be the actual singer of the band. And he’s a great friend of mine,” Dutkiewicz said.

Dutkiewicz says he keeps in touch with Jones, who is considering writing a book about his experiences in Killswitch.

“Howard and I still chat and honestly he’s just doing his thing,” Dutkiewicz says. “We all wish him his best. He’s doing alright. He’s just chilling.”

For Leach, singing songs written by Jones took some time getting used to, but he says the emotion behind the words is what’s allowed him to make the songs his own.

“Initially it was kind of a strange thing for me . . . I’ve never sang someone else’s songs, my whole career,” Leach says. “I just sat with the songs and just listened to them. For me, it was really just taking them in and digesting them, and seeing how I could connect with the lyrics. I just fell in love with the songs. I think they’re great songs. It’s just honest. It’s just him pouring out his heart.”

One of his favorites to sing is “Arms of Sorrow” from 2006’s As Daylight Dies.

“That song moves me,” Leach said. “It’s such an honest song from Howard. It speaks volumes about being on the road and trouble with relationships. There’s something to that song that gets me.”

“Plus, the song crafting is Adam. It’s flawlessly written hooks,” he continues. “It’s just getting into the mind state of feeling every word I’m saying. I can’t stand on stage and pretend.”

Leach will make his return official Sunday at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival in Worcester, Mass.

Unearth has begun tracking the new album at Zing Studios in Westfield, MA. The band is currently tracking drums with sit in drummer for the album, Justin Foley of Killswitch Engage/Blood Has Been Shed. "Foley was an obvious choice for this album for many reasons, but mainly because of his abilities and knowledge of heavy music as well as his long time friendship with the band," comments Trevor Phipps. "A decade plus of friendship has made this an easy transition for the band, Foley and our producer/engineer Adam D."

In other news, the band has decided to change the mixing engineer for the album to Mark Lewis (The Black Dahlia Murder, White Chapel, Devil Driver, Trivium, etc...) from Audiohammer Studios.

Guitarist Buz McGrath added this irrelevant comment about working with Mark, "Mark Lewis mixed me a drink once and i woke up in a swamp covered in anti freeze."

Unearth is aiming for a mid to late June release for the album followed by a world tour.

A few weeks back MetalSucks interviewed Howard Jones and Mike D'Antonio about the new KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album. That interview will run soon enough, but for now there's some news we just have to share regarding new music from BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED, the band Jones and drummer Justin Foley were in prior to KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.

Back in January, BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED guitarist Corey Unger confirmed that he was, at long last, writing a new album, but hinted that Jones and Foley might be involved in only limited capacity, if at all. Unger stated that "There is a vast mix of people who will be involved in this project including the original members. The line-up of musicians is very artistically driven based on the album’s style."

Here's what Jones had to say on the matter during the interview with MetalSucks.net:

MetalSucks: There was some news a little while ago that there might be another Blood Has Been Shed album. Are you involved in that still in any capacity?

Howard Jones: Well... yeah [laughs].

MetalSucks: They made it sound like you might not be coming back...

HJ: We're just trying to figure out what exactly it is that we're going to do. Blood Has Been Shed is just one of those things where none of us do it full time, barely part time. We'll get something out.

HJ: I don't know how it went to another level, but whew boy. I can actually say I've never heard anything like this.

MD: It might have to do with Corey getting struck by lightning twice.

HJ: Probably. Dude was insane as it is, but now . . . wow [laughs]. Wow. Musically, I've never heard anything like it. It's still heavy and very confusing. I would just go, "How am I supposed to sing over this?"

She Is A Liar has added Josh Venn, formerly of All That Remains and Blood Has Been Shed, to their line-up. Here's a statement from the group:

"Recently, our guitarist and founding member Cory decided to leave the band in order to persue his career in law. Cory was the only original member and without him, there would be no She Is A Liar. We are definitely sad to see him go. We have parted on good terms and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors!

"As a result, our former bassist Wilson has moved on to guitar and we are happy to announce our new bassist Josh Venn as our newest addition to the SIAL camp. Josh fomerly played bass in All That Remains and guitar in Blood Has Been Shed. He had the following to say: 'There are 3 things that a band must possess to become great. Longevity, listenability and technicality. The only thing more important than that is a brotherly bond between members. A group of guys who can experience all the ups and downs of trying to make it together. I can honestly say that, until now, I've never been in a band that I've felt has had all of this. And I'm very proud to now be a part of it. The last time I played bass in a band was over 2 years ago with All That Remains. I had alot of good times with them, and I'm very happy for their success. No regrets though. I couldn't be happier than I am to be playing with She Is A Liar. I look foward to recording and touring with them. Hell, I even look foward to driving 2 1/2 hours to NY everytime we practice! 2008 is going to be a kick ass year!'

"We are excited to be playing with Josh and look forward to the good times ahead of us! Josh will be recording with us for our self-titled EP coming out February 2008 on Hunt Records."

As Killswitch Engage prepare for their tour with Lamb of God, frontman Howard Jones revealed to Metal File his desire to work once again with Blood Has Been Shed, the band he led before replacing Jesse Leach in KSE back in 2002. "We'll probably do something else again," he said. "It's still just [drummer] Justin [Foley] and I, [guitarist] Corey [Unger] and [bassist] John [Lynch], and we'll probably record something again. We might drum up something here, because the band's been around for quite a bit of time, and we need to celebrate our anniversary and put out something — maybe do a few new songs. We'll reconnect at some point, because it's something we've tossed around. It's just a matter of everyone connecting." Meanwhile, Killswitch guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz is continuing to work on his side project, Burn Your Wishes, with Unearth's Ken Susi, Seemless' Dave Pino and Derek Kerswill, and former Poison the Well bassist Iano Dovi

Blood Has Been Shed have had to cancel their planned tour of the UK in September. This is because two members, Howard Jones and Justin Foley, now have unexpected commitments with their other band, Killswitch Engage.

Despite recently recruiting him to fill their vacant bass slot, All That Remains have already parted ways with Josh Venn of Blood Has Been Shed fame, reportedly as a result of Venn's drug problems. In turn, the band will be using fill-in bassists from their touring partners throughout the foreseeable future. Currently the band are on the road as part of the "Sounds Of The Underground Tour", a trek for which they have rolled out the following off-dates:

In other news, the band are now planning for an October/November release via Prosthetic for their recently filmed live DVD release. Meanwhile, they have also booked studio time in January to begin recording their next album with Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage fame onboard to produce.

Following the recent departure of Matt Deis, All That Remains have now recruited Josh Venn of Blood Has Been Shed as their new bassist. The official word is as follows:

"We officially announce that Matt Deis has left the band to pursue other exciting avenues. We are sad to see Matt go, but it was his decision, and he will be greatly missed. We are excited to announce that we have found a new bassist, Josh Venn from Blood Has Been Shed. He is going to do both bands, with ATR as his full time band. We welcome Josh into our family and he is very excited to get out on the road and tour."

Danzig and special guest Doyle have been confirmed as the Saturday headliner for the seventh annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, to be held Friday-Sunday, April 22-24 at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass.

In addition to the regular Danzig set, Doyle with join the band for a blistering 30-minute set of classic Misfits material. Danzig and Doyle have performed together just three times during Danzig’s recent tour – their first performances together in over 21 years.

The organizers of the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival have announced most of the bands that will perform at this year's event, set to be held Friday-Sunday, April 22-24, 2005 at The Palladium in Worcester. The billing for the festival is shaping up as follows:

Roadrunner Records is releasing the long-awaited MTV2 Headbangers Ball Volume 2 Compilation this Tuesday. 40 tracks from 40 of the hottest acts in mainstream heavy metal and in the underground, for one low price. Who needs the radio, when you have this awesome play list to pop in the CD player. MTV has put up a full preview of the album, which you can access by clicking here

Killswitch Engage frontman Howard Jones spoke to the Hartford Advocate about his joining the band, the state of the metal scene and the hardships and benfits of touring and being in the band.

Speaking to the Advocate fresh off some serious touring -- something like 60 shows in 70 days, and spanning four continents -- the sacrifices inherent to the life of a professional musician are fresh in Jones' mind.

"I'm basically making money to pay for a place I never see," he says. "I just got to see some of my family for the first time in almost a year. I am constantly sick on the road. Last tour, I got bit by a spider and it ended up infected. I had to get three shots. One of my wisdom teeth came in and started to shatter inside my mouth, so I'd be spitting out pieces of that during shows. I sprained my ankle during a show, pretty much dislocated my shoulder during a show, it's just two months straight and you feel like chopped meat. That's the downside ... . I've completely destroyed some relationships because of being in a band. You definitely have your regrets when it comes to that. A lot of times it's great, and then other times, it's really just one of the saddest things you can do."